I found the TI-88 interesting. I always wondered why they randomly skipped numbers. I assumed they were prototypes or something, but the 88 more - it was ready to be released until someone canceled it. I wonder if something similar happened to the 87?

Maybe they do it to leave room to fit in similar models if they ever make them. The prototypes are interesting. I heard of the TI-84 (not the TI-84+) that was supposed to be a cross between the TI-82 and TI-85 I guess, but not much seems to be known about it.

I once found a discussion in the ticalc.org mailing list archives about it, and several years ago someone said he had one. A couple of years ago, I discovered that surprisingly, he was STILL on the list, and I tried emailing him about it. He was only able to remember a few details because it was so long ago.

I am so glad that we have TI-BASIC, assembly, and C instead of the TI-59's programming language :)

The TI-59 is awesome. I picked up a couple off ebay in almost-new condition for about $10 each (complete with books, power supply, and even the printer). I think I got lucky, though. Newish TI-59s (and TI-58s) seem to be going for $30-$50. If you rebuild the battery pack using modern AA's (I used cordless phone batteries, like in datamath.org's HOWTO) the battery lasts forever. I kept one in my office at my old job. The office was dimly lit, too dim for a solar-powered calc to work, and too dim to really see a modern LCD very well anyway. The glowing red numbers on the TI59 were very easy to see :) Those old TIs were built like tanks. They're over 20 years old and still work perfectly. Even the mag card reader/writer works great. There's even a PocketPC TI59 emulator :-)

What's funny is, my dad still uses the calculator he had in high school: an HP (yes, RPN), halfway between a four function and a scientific, and an LED screen. It gets better: he has to plug it into the wall because the nonreplaceable internal battery is shot.

You might need a new calculator if...

Cool! I love websites like this.

I had been to a few "computer museum" websites before that were somewhat like this one, but I thought I had been to them all.

I always thought teh Datamath calculator museum was cool. Once, I actually saved every last calculator picture from there.

Every once in a while, I get a strong temptation to run a website mirroring tool to download a whole website (or whole section of a website, it the website is too big) so I can browse it when I'm offline, or if the website's server gets sucked into a black hole, etc.

It's interesting how expensive the first electronic calculators were. You would sometimes have to pay several hundred dollars for a four-function model (and no, it didn't have graphing, programming, ASM, Flash ROM, etc.).
According to vintagecalculators.com, the HP-65 was the first handheld programmable calculator with a one-line LED display and a magnetic card reader, and it cost US$795. If someone thinks you are a geek to buy a >$100 calculator, imagine what they would think if you got one that cost that much. :-)